The impact of a self instructional printed module on the knowledge level of HIV/AIDS by youth in selected middle level colleges: Nairobi Province, Kenya

Abstract

Learner centred instruction is under constant research to prove its efficacy in meeting and educational changing needs of students. This work presents the impact of a self instructional printed module used to educate the youth on HIV/AIDS. A pre test / post test study design was used to assess the impact of the module. Two groups of 20 participants each were scheduled into control and experimental groups respectively. The experimental group participants each received a printed module and used it to study over a period of six (6) weeks while the comparison group did not use the module.

A written pre test and post test was administered to both groups at the onset of the study and after 6 (six) weeks respectively. The results showed a significant impact attributable to the effect of the module. A 9.2% (n = 20) mean increase was experienced in the post test results of the experimental group in comparison to 2.1 % (n = 20) mean increase in the control group.

The t statistic results showed a significant difference between the means of the post test results of the experimental and the control groups. The results of the experimental group had an average mean increase of 85.6% (n = 20) up from 76.4% (n = 20). The absolute t value was 5.0912 (n = 20) which is greater than the critical t value of2.0243 (n = 20) at 0.05 level of significance. From these results, it was concluded that a distance learning self instructional module had a significant impact in raising the knowledge levels of the youth. The conclusions from the study findings were that the experimental group benefited from the individualised self instructional module. The module on HIV/AIDS was significant in equipping learners with necessary information, knowledge and facts on HIV/AIDS.

The module information contributed to correcting myths and beliefs held by the youth about HIV/AIDS. The study recommends the need to provide design guidelines enhancing learner centred models so that they may be adopted to complement other educational formats on HIV/AIDS. It also recommends that students should be inducted to distance learning formats before they undertake to study using self instructional materials. This will assist the learner to understand his/her role as well as that of the teacher in learner centred education formats.